Diaper Rash with Cloth Diapers - Evanston,IL

Try rockin green detergent...you can get a sample for $1...it's rinses completely free and for the red rash my newbie gets from the bad wipes we had I use earth angel mama baby

On the occassions that we had diaper rash that was bad, we used Aquaphor and Boudreaux's Butt Paste. Usually takes a day or two. I have never used cloth diapers but I am wondering if maybe she is allergic to the material?

Charlie's Soap has been known to cause chemical burns AND Pampers is now under fire for the same thing!

I have used more detergents than I can count and finally found Rockin Green - ABSOLUTELY THE BEST. Takes the ammonia smell out completely (you know that intense smell you can get when the baby pees - GONE). Plus, it washes clean, so the detergent doesn't build up.

LOVE THE STUFF

And I agree - Earth Mama ROCKS!

I've read a couple of articles that said when we consider the use of water and other ingredients such as soap, etc. that cloth diapers are no better than disposable diapers when the diapers are biodegradable.

Do you change her cloth diaper as soon as it's damp? It's the prolonged time the urine is against the skin that causes the rash. Also, do you lather her bottom with a moisture barrier cream every time you change her? That might help. Be sure that her skin is dry before putting on the cream.

I am environmentally conscious but I still believe that people are the most important. She is a baby and her current and future personality is shaped by current experiences. If it were me I'd use disposable diapers. If I could afford it I'd look for bio-degradable ones or ones that have been studied and show the least impact on the environment.

Have you tried diaper liners? They will help keep the urine away from her sensitive skin. I used them with one of my children.

I would recommend going to disposables. The cloth are not working for your daughter. Why fight the situation. You have tried "everything." Your daughter's persistant rash is telling you that disposables are best for her now. That is great that you tried to relieve the situation but apparently it is not working.

Sounds like the cloth diaper is not absorbing the pee as much as the disposable. Try allowing her bottom to air out while healing before using the cloth ones again and make sure they are dried properly.

Sounds like you've really tried to go the cloth-diaper and enviro-friendly route. Good for you. But shame, at this point, for your daughter's sake, just go with disposables.
Perhaps there are other ways you can lessen your carbon footprint in your daily life that are not going to have a negative impact on your daughter at the same time.
(Please don't read the above as a judgmental remark, I realize it could come across that way, hard to read tone in an email!)
I just remember my natural birth instructor, who'd had 5 kids, saying how she always used cloth diapers, but her one little girl just wouldn't do well with them. She always had a diaper rash. So she had to use the most 'sensitive' disposables she could find, which were the only things that were kind to her child's bottom.
Think of it this way - for 18 months you've spared the landfills - you've done a huge job already!
(Oh, and I haven't used them, but perhaps a hybrid to consider would be G-Diapers? You can get them at Whole Foods.)

Does your daughter drink a lot of juice or eat a lot of fruit? Sometimes the acidity in what your child is eating can cause rash issues.

I had a similar issue with cloth diapers, too, but there are two things that I used that helped: Caldesene Powder or old-fashioned Vaseline.

People pooh-pooh Vaseline because they claim it's bad for your baby, but I figure the rash is more harmful than the damage the Vaseline could be doing. My parents used Vaseline on me, and I'm still kicking.

Aquaphor could maybe do the same thing, but I don't think it'll do as good of a job coating the sores as Vaseline.

Also, you could try doubling up your cloth diapers so that your daughter stays drier. Let her air out in between changings, too.

Have you tried a diaper liner? I just bought a couple yards of fleece at the fabric store and cut it into strips to use as liners. The fleece helped keep the moisture off their skin and also kept any creams I used from getting on the cloth diaper. It really helped keep them drier between changings. Good luck with finding a solution.

A lot of times with cloth and rashes, it's that the soap/detergent isn't getting completely out of the diaper and then causes a reaction on baby's skin. Make sure you are only using about a tablespoon of detergent per full load, you are rinsing twice with hot water, if you have hard water use Calgon water softener periodically (about 1/4 what is called for). But I did all those things and found that I needed to change my daughter more frequently and she also did better with my other cloth diapers like my BG organic aio.

And the water use for cloth is minimal when you compare it to what is done and the materials used to manufacture and distribute disposables. Trees for the paper, chemical compounds for the high absorbency, trucking to distribute, etc and the impact of a gazillion disposable in land fills. Even the biodegradable diapers still have the manufacture impact.

The few times that I could NOT get rid of a diaper rash, trying every ointment, etc. She really had a yeast infection. You may just want to check with you Dr. just to make sure because she will need meds to get rid of it. Good luck, diaper rash is miserable!

"We used only Charlie's Soap for months, and when she was still getting rashes I tried using various detergents, none seemed to make a difference. We've also tried stripping the diapers as well as using vinegar in the rinse cycle. "

Charlie's Soap has a track record of causing rashes after extended use. I would never recommend. However, one thing you may have overlooked would be the hard water we have in IL. Have you stripped from minerals yet? There are a lot of questions to be asked to identify a rashes cause. Most people with difficulties are choosing a poor detergent and often using too much. Since you didn't have trouble at the start of diapering it seems it could be the minerals or a case of yeast that was never dealt with in your diapers properly. For help with yeast, http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/YeastvsCloth.htm for mineral stripping http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm...

First of all, one of the other posters commented that there was some research to indicate the cloth diapers and disposable diapers have the same environmental impact if you take into account the energy of washing and the water used. This was actually a study done in England, and it has been repeatedly discredited, but unfortunately, it made headlines when the study was published and the studies that have pointed out the flaws have not received the same publicity.

As of right now, none of the disposable diapers I have seen on the market are entirely biodegradable, although that would be a wonderful product if someone could invent it. I found this information when searching for a biodegradable diaper: http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm
"Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable; in order for these diapers to decompose, they must be exposed to air (oxygen) and sun. Since this is highly unlikely, it can take several hundred years for the decomposition of disposables to take place, with some of the plastic material never decomposing."

My family and I try to live a Green lifestyle, as well, and I applaud you for using cloth diapers with your daughter. Too many American women do not understand the benefits of cloth diapers, or believe the process would be too complicated for them. I'm always thrilled to hear about another CDer. However, having said that, I am concerned that your daughter is struggling with the cloth diapers.

Have you tried using pocket diapers such as the Bum Genius or Fuzzibunz diapers? These diapers are designed to help keep the wet away from baby's skin, especially when changed regularly (every 1.5-2 hours, or as soon as wet). I have found that they keep the skin much drier than prefolds or fitted diapers, and they can be purchased from amazon.com as well as from other online retailers.

Secondly, does your daughter spend any amount of time naked? Diaper rash is caused by a number of factors, but if your daughter is not allergic to the material of the diapers or the detergent you are using, her rash is probably caused by exposure to the wetness of cloth (disposables are better at keeping the moisture away from the skin). Spending time naked would allow her private areas to dry out and hopefully help the rash. Also, there is an article in Mothering Magazine this month about Infant Potty Training. I have not tried this, but it may be worth looking into.

Finally, if nothing else is working, consider using a "green" disposable diaper such as Seventh Generation, or G-Diapers (which are a disposable/cloth hybrid). Although these diapers are still not fully biodegradable (as I mentioned above), the companies try to use renewable materials whenever possible, do not bleach their products, and in general make their disposables as green as they can and still be effective disposables. G-diapers can be purchased from Whole Foods (or on amazon.com, as well), and Seventh Generation are pretty easy to find, as you can often find them at BRU, some grocery stores, and also online. This may be what you will have to do, and if it is, don't beat yourself up over it. You have to do what is best for your child. Try to find another method to be environmentally conscious to make up the difference. Good luck.

Hey, Listen you have used cloth through the days when you are using 12-15 diapers a day, you already made your impact. There are some biodegradable disposables that may be better than the regular ones and still wick enough away from your little one's bum to keep it rash free. If that doesn't work, well J. nobody in their right mind would tell you to keep letting your daughter suffer. Seriously let go of the guilt and go get a big old box of diapers for that girl!

What kind of detergent are you using?

I was having that problem with my son and I'm convinced it was the detergent causing all the problems. I'm using Rocken Green (or something like that), and my son hasn't had any more problems. Sounds to me like your daughter is reacting to the detergent.

I know u said u tried all creams but this one works to prevent them! Balmex healing ointment. Put a little on each change no matter what. Otherwise I agree about the cruelty. Save your daughter pain instead of the world!

I wonder if there has been a build up of yeast in the diapers? It may not be that much, but it may come out in the times that she wears them. The vinegar could also be reacting with your daughter's bum...it did with mine. We used MelaPower scent free for our diapers. But you can also try washing them and then hanging them out to dry in the sun...that kills yeast and lots of other stuff. Rinse the diapers several times or do a couple of water only loads since the soap can build up. We always used 1/2 of a normal amount of soap to wash since it can build up so easily. Another thing we found was to get Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE). You can get it at Fruitful Yield. Get an 8 oz spray bottle, fill it with DISTILLED water, and then add 30-50 drops of GSE. Spray it on her bottom every time you change her. Also let her run around outside in the sun without a diaper on...very healthy for the bottom too. You can also add GSE - 50 drops to your load of laundry. We found that the GSE was the BEST and helped all of the time. We still spray it on her when she gets red although she only wears a diaper at night now and it clears the red right up. It doesn't hurt at all. You could also try spreading acidophilus on her bottom as you change diapers. Let me know if you need any more help. I hope she's better soon. I've been CDing for 3 yrs now and always washed my own.

H.

Stop the cloth and use the disposible. Your daughter should not have to suffer anymore. Besides you will probably be starting the potty training so that she doesn't have to wear a diaper at all. Good luck

I would make use Eucerin's Aquaphor combined with a little triple anti-biotic ointment, mix it well and apply often. It will shield her skin. It's not made with Vaseline so it will not dry her skin out. The triple-antibiotic has a numbing ingredient in it at well. It's the only thing I used after my son had a bad case of diaper rash and he never got it again.

my 2 year old is the same way. I tossed out the cloth and switched to disposables.

my daughter used to get terrible rashes also...nearly to the point of boils or open sores. the only thing that doenst care those on her are the Huggies Pure and Naturals. We use an ointment mix of Butt Paste, neosporin and jock itch cream (1/3 of each) and it is FABULOUS!! good luck!